Briefing: Beijing government to commercialize 5G by 2022

What happened: Beijing will commercialize 5G mobile networks in the next five years to cover key areas within the city. According to city authorities, Beijing’s central zone, which includes areas within the Second Ring Road and Tongzhou District, the capital’s new municipal center, will be the first to receive 5G coverage. Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is currently under construction, and venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics are also included.

Why it’s important: As the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, the Chinese government is accelerating the deployment of 5G networks in the capital city. According to a 5G rollout plan issued by the Beijing government on Tuesday, telecom operators will invest more than RMB 30 billion (around $4.4 billion) to build 5G networks over the next three years. Chinese tech companies are also expected to make up 10% of the global 5G component market share and make breakthroughs in core component development, such as radio frequency parts and chips.